Charles Ostner, who was born in Austria, immigrated to America to escape persecution in Germany. He had been involved in student uprisings there in 1848. He lived in California for about ten years working as a prospector. In 1860 the allure of gold brought him to the Florence Mining District in what would become Idaho. He found easy wealth a difficult thing to come by. On his way to Fabulous Florence, he got lost in the wilderness, spending nearly a month thrashing around. When found, Ostner was unconscious and emaciated. Life as a prospector had lost its allure.
Ostner bought an interest in a pack trail bridge in Garden Valley. The toll bridge was a reliable source of income. It gave him some time to pursue his art.
Horses were often the centerpiece of Ostner’s paintings (see Bear’s Attack below). In 1865 he felled a large pine at his Garden Valley homestead and set out to make a grand gesture for the recently formed Idaho Territory.
Ostner had some patience. It took him four years to carve the wooden statue of George Washington astride a horse that stands on the fourth floor of the Idaho statehouse today. Ostner modeled the statue in snow before committing it to pine. He studied the likeness of George Washington on a postage stamp to get the face right.
Ostner donated the statue to the Territory of Idaho in 1869. The Legislature granted him $2,500 for the work. It stood outside the statehouse on a pedestal for 65 years, before it was brought inside and gilded. For years the horse and rider were parked outside of the attorney general’s office, giving the secretary behind those glass doors an unobstructed view of the tail end of a golden horse. The statue was moved to the fourth floor during the 2007 renovation of the building.
Ostener died in 1913 and is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.
Ostner bought an interest in a pack trail bridge in Garden Valley. The toll bridge was a reliable source of income. It gave him some time to pursue his art.
Horses were often the centerpiece of Ostner’s paintings (see Bear’s Attack below). In 1865 he felled a large pine at his Garden Valley homestead and set out to make a grand gesture for the recently formed Idaho Territory.
Ostner had some patience. It took him four years to carve the wooden statue of George Washington astride a horse that stands on the fourth floor of the Idaho statehouse today. Ostner modeled the statue in snow before committing it to pine. He studied the likeness of George Washington on a postage stamp to get the face right.
Ostner donated the statue to the Territory of Idaho in 1869. The Legislature granted him $2,500 for the work. It stood outside the statehouse on a pedestal for 65 years, before it was brought inside and gilded. For years the horse and rider were parked outside of the attorney general’s office, giving the secretary behind those glass doors an unobstructed view of the tail end of a golden horse. The statue was moved to the fourth floor during the 2007 renovation of the building.
Ostener died in 1913 and is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.
Undated portrait of Charles Ostner, courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society’s physical photo collection.
Black and white copy of an oil painting of Ostner’s called Bear’s Attack, circa 1865. The original is in the ISHS archives. Courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society’s physical photo collection.
The gilded statue of Washington astride his horse as it appears today on the fourth floor of the statehouse.
Monument to Ostner erected on the site of his Garden Valley home in celebration of the country’s bicentennial in 1976.
A crowd gathered on February 21, 1915 for “Washington-Lincoln patriotic services” in front of the Washington statue carved by Charles Ostner. The woman in the center of the photo is Mrs. Charles Ostner. To the right of Mrs. Ostner is Mrs. R.C. Adelman (nee Julia Ostner). Mrs. J.D. Jones is to the left of Mrs. Ostner. The girl dressed in white and placing a wreath is Clare Elizabeth Jones, the Ostner’s granddaughter. Courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society’s physical photo collection.
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